Jou's Guide to Becoming the Perfect Boyfriend
by Synaptic-Firefly
Summary: Dating an Heiress to boost his company's press value, Kaiba discovers that his social ineptitude might be his downfall and the bane of his existence may be his only hope! SetoJou Rated M just in case. Step 3 is up!
1. Enlisting the Mutt's Help

A/N: Yikes, I haven't done a Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic in a loooong time... :3

Jou's Guide to Becoming the Perfect Boyfriend

* * *

Chapter 1: Enlisting the Mutt's Help

Seto Kaiba stalked down the tech-like hallway into the KC Conference Room, where he needed an important status report on the reputation of his company. Apparently, he had received word that his stocks had dropped...again. In fact, it was dropping even lower than during the KC Grand Prix and he had a cold feeling that another tournament wouldn't help him this time.

He slammed the doors open regally but in agitation. This would not bode well with him. The Conference consisted of one of his staffs that dealt with advertising and press related decisions to further monopolize Kaiba Corp.

He hated to deal with these kind of people. There was always some sort of hair-brained scheme that pooled into the company's treasury, or even worse, having him to do something.

But, like a responsible, cold-hearted CEO, he gritted his teeth and had to bear it.

Briskly walking to his lone seat at the far end of the table, he showed no expression as he sat down on the expensive leather, intimidating the individuals in the room with a calculated stare.

"Well? I hired the lot of you to raise and maintain the reputation of this company, but I guess I misjudged the intelligence of everyone in this room if my stock prices are dropping rapidly," Kaiba growled coldly. "Give me a reason not to fire your asses and kick you out into the street."

The group looked at each other worriedly, but most aimed their glances at the one sole person sitting in the seat opposite of Kaiba. The glanced person cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Mr. Kaiba, as Head Director of Press, we have thoroughly looked into why...stock prices have been dropping..." He said the last part with a cold shiver. "And it has nothing to do with the company."

The CEO's cold stare dropped into a glare. "Excuse me? You better inform me of what IS wrong, or you'll suffer severely."

Looking at the others, it gave the director the little bit of confidence to speak up. "It's you."

"It's me?" Kaiba repeated with a warning snarl. "I'M the reason why this company is suffering?!"

"N-no!" the Director stuttered hurriedly. "N-not...YOU...in particular. The public h-has recognized that you are an eligible bachelor over t-these few years a-and we think that they might not find y-you...appealing anymore to many c-customers..."

The Director jumped when Kaiba snapped the pen in half in his right hand, his anger growing.

"So it's my personal life that those idiots worry about over revolutionary gadgets this company has to offer to pull this caveman economy into the future?!" Kaiba roared at the trembling members. "I'm not some glamor-driven celebrity who beds someone every week! I'm a respectable CEO and shareholder of a respectable company and all you can tell me is this crap-issue?!"

One of the members, a brave but foolish female stood up. "Please, Mr. Kaiba!" She begged. "You are twenty-five years old! We're just suggesting that the public might turn to you if you, I don't know, married someone!"

There was an abrupt silence in the room as she dropped the bomb, but they could feel their employer's blood boil.

"I have no intention to marry," Kaiba replied emotionlessly. "Ever."

She gulped and tried again. "...well then, why don't you...just _date _someone at least. To get the public's attention."

"Date?" Kaiba echoed. When he began to rise from his seat, the group looked ready to seek shelter underneath the expensive black desk, but was relieved to see a curious expression on his face.

He 'hmphed' and walked toward the doors but stopped short. "Are you absolutely sure?"

They all silently nodded, unsure whether to speak up or not.

The CEO stared back at them with an almost annoyed expression. "I'll see what I can do."

The only problem was: he didn't know how to actually _date _someone.

* * *

His first plan of action was to find a suitable specimen to start the courtship with. He grudgingly ordered his information line to find the best women on the face of the planet who was rich, famous and for the most part, attractive.

When he received the list however, he nearly crossed out an entire page, for having met them before and finding them utterly repulsing.

At last, he narrowed it down to the top three that he deemed worthy and sent word to meet with each of them separately, to get to know with how she acted but for the most part to see how well connected she was to other multi-billion dollar companies. For him, it was an intensely grueling process.

He met with the first two and found them distasteful. At the mere mention of having the slim chance of dating the infamous Seto Kaiba, they jumped on him before he could finish, 'Hello'.

The last one was a different story. He never really had an affinity to royalty, as it was his belief that the ones born into royalty never had to work to the top as he did. Therefore, he considered them inferior to even over the common man. At least they worked for what they earned.

This girl was regal in every way, being an Heiress to a Viking Dynasty, not that he cared. Her connections wasn't as great as he had anticipated, but she was very quiet and easy on the eyes. She would have to do.

She accepted his proposal graciously and to his surprise, the news of him deciding on someone from the opposite sex spread like wild fire. Every magazine, newspaper, news channel, gossip stations, and word on the streets were filled with only the news of his interest in a girl.

The stock prices skyrocketed and he smiled around his cigar as he read the evening Wall Street Journal in the New York Times paper he specifically ordered from America. The United States was his biggest buyer, right next to China and India, so he always watched out for them. Everything was back to where it should be.

Except for one problem.

His Press Team suggested going on a date with Heiress Freya in a public setting to which he dropped his cigar from his mouth in shock.

He wasn't afraid of dating someone, it was just he didn't know what to do in those situations. He had no idea how to woo a girl or be...caring to a girl on a personal level. They only personal situations he had was on the dueling field against his rival Yugi and the mutt...

...The MUTT!!

Even though he'd rather eat his Dueling Disk before asking the dog for his help in anything, (Kaiba always accentuated that he was better than Jounouchi at anything), it endangered his company, and that came second in his life. (Behind Mokuba of course who topped the number one spot).

Kaiba was pretty sure Jounouchi had romances in his life. He was almost certain that the mutt had hooked up with that Valentine woman, the last time he saw him.

Even if it was seven years ago.

Sighing in annoyance, he gained the information needed to track down the mutt and enlisted the fastest limo to find the oblivious blond.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow to his driver.

"Yes sir, Mr. Kaiba. Mr. Katsuya Jounouchi works at the Sanban Cafe weekdays from eleven am to twelve pm," The driver answered monotonously.

"Hmm..." It was quite a fall for the third-ranking duelist in the world; to be a busboy at an inexpensive restaurant. Nevertheless, he disguised himself with a pair of expensive sunglasses and an overcoat and proceeded in. Due to the raging inferno of his personal life bared to the public, he couldn't risk a mob attack from the peasants.

He walked into the very warm establishment, seeing families together in large booths and children messing around in their booster seats. The restaurant was very noisy and crowded and Kaiba thought that it suited the mutt. He was noisy and loud too.

Reaching a pedestal to where one of the waiters waited to take him to a seat, he asked to be sent somewhere a little more quiet and in Jou's area of movement. With a raised eyebrow, the waitress led him to a solitary booth for two where he ordered coffee and waited for a chance to find the infuriating duelist.

Surprisingly, fate found him.

"Well, well. If it isn't Kaiba," A taunting whisper directed at the back of Kaiba's neck. The cold CEO ignored the adrenaline telling him to jump, instead he turned rigid from the hot breath. "In disguise, no doubt." The sound of Jou's voice was hinting at playful as he rounded to face Kaiba head on.

Kaiba removed his glasses and cerulean blue eyes met rich hazel ones like magnets, a familiar spark of bitter rivalry was very small but still tantalizingly there. He looked Jou up and down.

The mutt had grown an inch or two, but he knew that he was still shorter than Kaiba's six foot three height. His hair had gotten more golden, instead of the annoying bright yellow he was used to seeing back in the day and it was a bit longer too, where strands lightly hit his shoulders. It was long enough to be put in a nice, but messy pleat and Kaiba wondered if it felt as soft as it looked. Even as a busboy, Kaiba had to admit, Jou had grown to look very dashing in it and the proof was certain in the many women's stares upon him all around the resturant.

"If you don't mind temporarily leaving from your menial duties, Mutt," Kaiba finally said with a smirk. "I'd like you to sit down and consider a proposition from me."

"Uh, huh," Jou tilted his head curiously, looking for something malevolent in doing so. Seeing none, he sat down opposite at him and gave a cheeky grin. "So, word on the street is, you've finally hooked up with somebody."

"Couldn't afford a newspaper so you had to eavesdrop on other people's conversation?" Kaiba taunted with a hint of affection in it. He had grown from cruel retorts and it was almost nice to see someone from his teenagehood again. Someone that actually existed in his memory apart from Mokuba.

"At least I don't go around telling people that I'm a walking virgin," Jou pulled out a copy of 'Japanese Rumors' magazine depicting Kaiba's sullen face with the mini-headline: 'Seto Kaiba's First Love...Still Virgin???'

Touche.

"Shit," Kaiba rubbed his face. He never bothered to realize the power of gossiping, where they'll twist anyone and anything to get a story.

"Ah, don't worry," Jou threw the magazine aside and gave him a smile, the truest smile he had ever seen upon him. "I don't read this crap either. My sis just sent it to me today. She's got a thing for gossip columns."

Kaiba realized that Jou had grown very mature since the last time he saw him. The old mutt would be spitting rude retorts at every interval if he had his hands on that jewel. "Listen," Kaiba urged quietly. "I'm asking you for a job proposition and I'll pay you for it too."

The mention of pay pricked Jou's ears up. "Seriously? What's the catch?"

The second-place duelist looked around carefully, watching for any eavesdroppers and dropped his voice to a careful whisper. "I need help."

Jou choked, trying not to laugh. "You? Need help from me?"

"Yes," Kaiba replied seriously. "I don't..." Ra, it was so hard to tell him such personal information. "...know how to be a good boyfriend."

There was silence and Kaiba sincerely hoped that Jou wouldn't burst out laughing.

But he didn't, instead he was surprised to see a look of compassion on Jou's face. "I didn't expect you to," Jou answered. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Surrounded by only technology and your brother would pretty much make you inept socially, right?"

Wow. Jou did grow up. "Will you help me?" Kaiba swallowed his pride down, which was a big thing. But, he needed the people's attention on his company and it was the only way.

Jou smirked and stood up, raising his hand towards Kaiba. "Alrighty then! But I want three-fifty an hour, got it?"

Kaiba blinked as he stood up as well. He gave his long held breath out and grasped it. "Deal."

"You're in for a major overhaul of reeducation, Kaiba!" Jou grinned in pleasantness. "Welcome to Jou's Guide to Becoming the Perfect Boyfriend! Lessons start tomorrow!"

And that, Kaiba realized, was the beginning of the end.

TBC

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A/N: Yay, first chapter! My inspiration for Yugioh is back! Wheee!!

Reviewing is much appreciated!


	2. Step 1: Flirting is the Start Point!

A/N: Fastest chapter I put up in succession for a while. Kudos for me.

WARNING: Rated for swearing. Bad swearing.

* * *

Step 1: Flirting is the Start Point!

"Ta-da! See? I've made a lesson plan for the process of a ten day program; with ten lessons covering all there is to know about being a good boyfriend!" Jou waved a fine-ruled notebook in front of Kaiba's face, baring in hiragana, (and with very few kanji, Kaiba had observed. He wholly agreed that Jou learned nothing in grammar school), the grand title written in permanent marker: "Jou's Guide to Becoming the Perfect Boyfriend". Not to mention, a crude chibi picture of Kaiba begging to a very huge Jou chibi who had stars all around him.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and hit the notebook on top of Jou's head none to gently. "I think you've got the picture wrong, mutt. _You _bow down to _me._"

"Tch, whatever to that, Mr. I-Have-A-Stick-Up-My-Butt," Jou recovered from the blow to rub his head. "I think I'm going to teach you some good manners for my first lesson."

The CEO 'tch'ed back at him and leaned back against the sofa. They were situated in Kaiba's private rooms where they could fulfill his education in secret. He didn't have to worry about Mokuba charging in at every interval either, for he was blissfully away at summer camp.

The room was comprised of a nice living room type grandeur, with soft sofas and chairs that could help an insomniac get some good rest. Jou sat on the floor opposite of Kaiba, where he was busy scribbling something inside. Kaiba guessed the table of contents because he kept muttering strange catchphrases under his breath.

"Are you done yet?" Kaiba huffed darkly. "I'm paying you by the hour and I expect the highest potential you have as my employee."

Jou rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't bother trying to snuff me out with that CEO nonsense. I know who you really are."

The dark haired duelist's glare subsided to be replaced with a hue of annoyance. Apparently, he couldn't get Jou to work through fear like everyone else and that unnerved him.

"Alright Kaiba. I'm done and right now were going straight to Step one!" Jou opened his book to show a chibi Kaiba posing as if singing an opera with little musical notes flying from his mouth. "'Flirting is the Start Point'!"

"Flirting?" Kaiba narrowed his eyes as he repeated the phrase as if it tasted wrong. "I don't flirt."

"Yeah, well tough," Jou grinned evilly. "Flirting is the bait to snagging someone into a relationship and guess what, Kaiba-boy? Miss Heiress has been surrounded by flirting her whole life, no doubt. _And _you're going to need a remedial course."

Kaiba turned his nose up at the word, 'Remedial'. "Just get the damn lesson started."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Jou had situated himself into leaning forward on the shocked CEO, their foreheads touching.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Kaiba snarled, though he didn't bother pushing Jou away.

"You've got the deepest eyes I have ever seen, Seto," Jou whispered and Kaiba felt those hazel eyes mirroring his own and for once in his life, he had no comeback. "I could..."

Kaiba felt his chest restricting, for it was a feeling of closeness. He never had anyone invade his personal space before _alive _and it felt as alien as the desperate touching of the foreheads.

"...drown a beautiful death in those eyes of ice."

The CEO's body enjoyed it, but his mind was screaming like an alarm at the closeness. It was too close. He was suffocating...

"Stop it, Jou. What are you, some kind of fucking poet?"

Jou blinked and withdrew, the gravity of the situation lifting and the magic disappearing at once. "Hmm, too much for you, Kaiba? I guess I did do a little advanced flirting with you..." The blond scratched his head. "I forgot you're a little sensitive about personal space."

Once Kaiba got his bearings, he snarled angrily. "I'm not a fucking china doll."

"Hey!" Jou's expression became stern and he poked Kaiba in the chest with indignation. "I'm helping you out here! It's a two-way street, Kaiba. You've got to do your share and I do mines, but you won't learn about that until later lessons. So, focus on your flirting!"

Kaiba blinked. That little snuggle-fest was a lesson?! "Warn me next time, mutt!"

"Constant vigilance!" Jou chirped benignly as he thumped next to the elder man, turning to him casually. "Okay, here's the beginning topics to flirting! You've got to start with the physical aspects of that person. The eyes (a big girl-catcher), hair (great for long-haired people), smile (even if she's got the smile of Quasimodo), and hands (especially if you shook her hand first)."

Kaiba valiantly took in everything Jou said, making mental notes to himself.

"Here's a big no-no!" Jou continued by the wag of the finger. "Never compliment her body, because she'll think you're some pervert who's only interested in her good looks. She'll make you out like an ape and give you the cold shoulder. Also, you're the type to point out weaknesses in a person. DON'T DO THAT. Compliments, compliments, compliments! Now..." Jou seated himself more upright. "We're going to practice."

"Right now?" Kaiba raised his eyebrow worriedly.

Jou nodded. "Yep. Compliment me on the eyes, hair, smile and hands. That's an ice breaker. And you'll know you're doing something wrong when I get royally pissed."

The brunet sat back to look more broadly at Jou and he snorted. "How the hell do I complement another guy?"

"Imagine me as the Heiress or something," Jou grinned, seemingly oblivious to Kaiba's apparent frustration. "Ready?"

"Yeah." He really wasn't, by the way.

Jou then proceeded to lift his hand to greet Kaiba. "Hi, Mr. Seto Kaiba. I'm the Heiress going to decide whether you're the perfect boyfriend for me."

Kaiba huffed in agitation. "You're mocking me, you stupid dog."

Big mistake. Jou's smile disappeared and was replaced with a crushed look. Kaiba wondered if it was the acting or really the blond.

"Why did you call me a dog, Mr. Kaiba?" Jou whined sweetly. "Am I not that up to your standards of a perfect girlfriend...?"

Realizing that they were still acting, Kaiba cleared his throat. "S-sorry. I'm still stressed out...from work." Seeing that Jou's expression improved very little, he added, "I don't think you look like a dog. You're..." Kaiba looked away in utter embarrassment. He was talking to the mutt for crying out loud! "...very beautiful." He muttered the last.

It must've worked because Jou gave a huge smile. "You think I'm beautiful?"

Sighing, he looked at Jou and deduced that he did look appealing on a grander scale. "I...like you're blond hair," Kaiba admitted grudgingly focusing somewhere other than Jou's beaming face. "It looks soft to the touch."

The smile broadened even more and Jou dropped his head down. "I don't think it's that soft, but you're welcome to see for yourself."

Kaiba stiffened. Did he actually want him to stroke his hair?!

Awkwardly, he reached a hand and only touched a few strands. They really were soft to the touch.

Jou straightened back up, his smile still apparent. Kaiba decided to go for the next subject.

"Your smile seems to light up this room." It was no lie. Jou's smile was brighter than the lit lamps in the room. Kaiba reluctantly admitted to himself that it was a very beautiful smile.

"That's so sweet!" Jou chirped as perky as he can. "Everyone's been saying how cold you are to everyone, but I can see that they don't know anything!"

This made Kaiba heat up all over. It felt like it was him and Jou talking, not him and the Heiress. But he was assumed that it was only nerves.

"Maybe because they don't see through your eyes," Kaiba said truthfully. "I can tell that that amber hue sheds the truth on everything you see."

Jou blinked. "Damn, Kaiba. You learn fast!"

"What did you expect? I'm Seto Kaiba!" Kaiba hissed and turned away. He couldn't believe that he said those things! And to the mutt! It was utterly embarrassing.

Jou noticed Kaiba's evident embarrassment and grinned. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Kaiba. Everyone's gotta flirt to start relationships. You're just afraid that you'll lose your cold persona, but it won't happen. It's embedded into you. You can be romantic to the one you love in private and be cold to everyone else. It's not like you're required to flirt with everyone or something."

That was the truth. He was afraid of losing the mask he was so comfortable in. The mask that the world knew him of. The mask that would never come off. Seto Kaiba's mask.

"What's your mask?" Kaiba whispered darkly to Jou.

The blond's eyes bore into him and the CEO wished he never brought it up. "What do you think?"

They were met with silence until Jou broke it with a clearing of his throat. "Anyways, I'll give you a C+ for that practice session."

"You're the worst teacher ever," Kaiba's eyebrow ticked at being given an average grade. "You don't give grades during a practice run."

"Do you want me to drop it down to a C?" Jou threatened lightly. "For insubordination?"

"Big vocab, Einstein," Kaiba relaxed under the little banter that was procuring between them. He felt comfortable knowing that he could still insult without forethought.

Jou ignored him and proceeded to write in his book of Kaiba's progress. In actuality, he gave Kaiba a solid B, but he'd never admit it. It would have been an A if Kaiba didn't call him a dog on the first run, because that was a huge deductable. "Alright, Kaiba. Let's try again. This time, it's a test. Remember to always compliment. No insults!"

The blond jumped when Kaiba leaned toward him unexpectedly, quite possibly for revenge from what he mirrored previously.

"Puppy," Kaiba droned heavily, a smirk playing on his features. "Are you shaking? It's adorable."

Jou wanted to smack the notebook onto Kaiba's smug face, but decided otherwise. This was a test after all. "Of course I'm shaking, Seto," He whispered softly, unnerving Kaiba for a moment as he leaned closer to contradict him. "The force of your commanding nature is making me scramble from going over the edge."

That was when Kaiba felt something weird going on with his body, but he ignored it. "Maybe you're just cold. Why don't I keep you warm tonight? I'll make sure you're _very _comfortable."

"Easy, Kaiba..." Jou warned with a little smirk, his cheeks a little flushed. "It's not the second date yet."

Kaiba visually ignored it, but kept that in his memory bank as he continued. "You should keep your hair down. I like it when it barely touches your shoulders."

Jou blinked. No one's said that before. Anzu kept chiding over chopping it off and Honda asking if he was trying to pull off Otogi's look to which he earned a good punch in the nose. Resolved, he took out the pleat and his hair fell to his shoulders.

Kaiba ran a subconscious approving eye over it. "You look like the Archangel Gabriel from a European painting."

"Thanks," For the first time in the room, Jou turned bright red with embarrassment. "...but what's an Archangel...?"

Then, as if like magic, Kaiba laughed. And it wasn't those insane laughs he usually made, it was those genuine article ones. The one where it's so charming you'd laugh with him too.

There it was. There was that one thing Jou was looking for all throughout the lesson. "Test is over." He withdrew to start doodling in his notebook, a chibi Kaiba laughing with an A+ on the top of his head.

"What'd I get?" Kaiba tried to look over Jou's shoulder but was met with the slamming closed of the notebook.

"Can't tell you that," The blond smirked slyly. "That's against the rules."

Kaiba gave him a snobbish look. "Screw the rules, I have money."

"Arrogant prick. You passed, that's all you need to know," Jou answered with a grin. "Try it on Heiress Freya tomorrow and we'll _really _see how well you did."

* * *

It was almost ten at night when Jou felt that they've finished Step 1 and Kaiba felt a little confident that he'd do just fine with the Heiress. Kaiba escorted Jou, to the blond's surprise, to one of the grandeur rooms of his mansion.

"Oi, Kaiba. You could just take me home and I'll come back tomorrow," Jou protested and was met with a curious look from the brunet.

"I'm not taking any chances. It's best that I go to you at any interval with help with this relationship business than worry about where to find you. Here's your pay." Kaiba dropped a check into Jou's hand and the blond was floored.

"T-three hundred and f-fifty t-t-th-thousand yen?!!!" Jou sputtered as he reread the check over about twenty times. "For the whole session?!"

Kaiba gave him a look that said, 'Are you nuts?'. "Everyday. That's the deal."

"I said three hundred and fifty yen an hour!" Jou corrected incredulously. "This is like, times a thousand! This is a treasure trove!"

The CEO 'hmph'ed pleasantly. "Only for peasants, servant. I'm well rich enough to pay anyone handsomely." Still, it was still...kind...of the mutt to be a little bit modest. At least he wasn't trying to milk him for everything he's got on purpose.

Jou gave him a dissatisfied look, but said nothing more. He opened the door to his room defeatedly and walked in, not surprised that it was as grandeur as the rest of the mansion.

"Good boy," Kaiba grinned evilly. "Keep it up and you'll get a treat."

Kaiba then shut the door as he laughed, hearing a resounding thunk of a shoe on the other side.

TBC

* * *

A/N: Yoo-hoo. I guess...

For every review will be the number of times Seto Kaiba gets sexually frustrated over a certain mutt in the next chapter. Seriously.


	3. Step 2: Casual Touches Are the Key!

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Here's the next chapter!

* * *

Step 2: Casual Touches Are the Key!

At first, Seto believed that having the mutt teach him the finer things of dating was almost hilarious...

...until it actually worked.

The flirting went well between him and Freya, almost so well that he could almost swear to Ra that she was comfortable enough to stroke his hand gently.

Big mistake.

He withdrew his hand quickly, but politely, almost glaring at her for the fact that she invaded his personal space without his permission. That was a bit of a problem for him. Aside from Mokuba, no one had ever gotten close enough for physical contact and he preferred it that way. He had no time for love or affection from any stranger.

Then again, as he looked back the last couple of days, Jou had no trouble having his way around the elusive CEO: messing his hair in the morning when Seto refused to acknowledge him, poking him in the ribs whenever he disagreed with something, making himself at home behind Seto while he worked and occasionally looking over his shoulder to see what was he doing on the laptop.

Not to mention the fact that during the first lesson, the mutt had the guts to touch foreheads with him...Seto's body heat jumped a degree or two at the thought, leaving him feeling agitated in a strange way.

"Seto-san," Freya tilted her head like a little bird. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kaiba looked up from his musings and attempted a small smile. "Sorry...I'm not a very huggy person."

He was surprised to hear her giggle and he raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"That was cute. You said 'huggy'." Freya giggled behind her hand. "You are sweet."

'_That makes two of you people..._' Seto thought with contempt. No doubt he'll have to admit that Jou's techniques were working. It's on to Step 2.

* * *

Seto found Jou inside the CEO's private study and he was very sure he had locked it for that very reason: 'privacy'. How he got inside, he'll never know.

Jou was relaxing against a very soft couch, lounging away with a book over his head, unknown that Seto was watching him.

The mutt was dressed very comfortably: hip-hugger jeans and a stylish black band shirt that was slowly riding up as he sunk further in comfort. After seeing the light skin of the blond's abdomen peaking out to say 'HELLO SETO KAIBA!', he felt his face heating up in the worst way and he looked away.

'_Damn it all_,' Seto thought angrily. '_Stupid mutt. He looks like he came from a damn brothel._'

Then Jou did something unforgivable. Yawning slightly, he casually dropped his hand to his abdomen. But it didn't stop there.

Seto watched in utmost shock as the mutt's hand went lower, to rest at his crotch line, dwelling there for a good amount of time. He wasn't going to do what Seto thought he was going to do! He wanted to yell and complain at the inappropriateness of it all, but found himself unable to move at the sight.

That was when the CEO groaned and ran his head through his immaculate hair in agitation. He wasn't really that interested with Jou doing naughty things, was he?!

But he took an internal exhale when Jou reached into his pocket to pull out an iPod. Thank Ra.

Still...why did he feel like he missed out on something exciting...? He felt like an old pervert like his stepfather. He shivered at the thought.

Seto groaned again which caught Jou's attention. '_Don't think those trivial things, Seto Kaiba!_'

"Hey, have a nice day doing the usual? You know, firing people with low income families just because they rubbed you the wrong way today?" Jou playfully taunted, fishing the headphones still embedded into his pocket.

"Ha, ha," Seto responded tartly. "Having fun mooching off me and enjoying the fact that you're a third-rate duelist?"

"Oooh, now you want to go there, do you?" Jou hopped off the couch to poke him the ribs, as usual. "At least I don't have an unhealthy obsession with Yugi."

Seto growled dangerously. "I DO NOT have an obsession with that half-pint!"

Jou characteristically rubbed his pinky-finger into his ear, annoying Seto even more. "I can't hear you over the inherent sexual denial pleas you have for my spiky-haired friend!"

"Damn mutt!" Seto felt the urge to strangle the peasant until Jou grabbed him by the wrists, looking at him with that same seriousness as their last session.

Seto felt the contact and his body heat rose again. He had no idea why he was acting so strange these past few days. And he wasn't so unresponsive to the mutt's touch. It didn't bother him so much like the others.

"Now that we're done with our little banter," Jou smirked. "Let's get move on to Step 2! Casual Touches Are the Key!"

"What the hell?" Seto muttered. "What's this going to pertain to, may I ask?" Though, he sort of guessed it.

He almost jumped with shock when Jou began to stroke around his fingers with his own, almost in a massage-like manner. Seto didn't know how bad his hands ached from the furious typing until his wrist muscles began to soften nicely with the circular movements of Jou's fingers.

It brought tingles up his spine and he was frightened at the feeling. "...what...?"

"You have a sort of peeve with physical contact," Jou looked at him with a gentle look. "I thought that we might get that fear out of the way if we're planning to keep up with your education." He let go of Seto's hands when he felt them shake. He knew his limits; Seto spent most of his life away from gentle touches and isolated himself from the world because of it.

Jou gave him another scrutinizing gaze before he held Seto's hands up, palms facing towards the blond. "When you've dated a girl long enough and she likes you, you're entitled to move the relationship along by casual contact. There are many types of casual touches. But we'll warm you up first." He placed his own palms against the quiet CEO's.

"You alright, Kaiba?" Jou asked carefully.

Only receiving a mechanic nod, Jou nodded back. "Okay, let's go further." He then interlaced his fingers gently with Seto's and the the brunet followed suit. "How's that?"

Seto didn't know what to say, because he didn't know how to describe it. Jou's hands were warm and a little coarse from years of manual labor, but it felt like it was the one feeling he was searching to touch for a long time. Ignoring it by reason that it was his first casual contact, he cleared his throat. "It's...it's fine."

"Oh. Good!" Jou grinned. "I thought your soul left you from shock because of a simple touch."

'_Almost._' Seto thought as Jou dropped their hands. He almost began to miss the feeling of Jou's hands.

"Now," Jou led Seto back to the couch and they sat down cautiously, as if they were both hesitant about what had transpired a moment ago. "Like I said, there's many types of touches, most not even remotely sexual. It's to assure the girl that you are genuinely interested in her. I'll show you the simple hand touches first."

Jou cupped Seto's hand on his lap. "This is the first hand-holding. It's great for the movies where the two of you are seated next to you, or opposite at a cafe. It shows that she has your undivided attention. This..." He interlaced his fingers again on Seto's lap. "...is good for showing your affection and it's great for walking beside each other. It shows that you're comfortable to be around her."

Seto tried to remember all of it, but he was preoccupied with the warmth of Jou's hand. He almost wished that the mutt would dump the damn thing in a bucket of ice water so he couldn't be distracted by the heat of it.

He was so deep in thoughts, he almost missed Jou's next lesson. "What?"

"I said put your arm around my shoulders," Jou said casually. "This is a very important lesson in casual touches. It's when you fully accept the person into your personal space without being threatened."

"I'm not putting my arm around you!" Seto exclaimed. "My arms around another guy? Are you mad?"

"Imagine me as the Heiress for once, why don't you? Jeez." Jou defended in exasperation. "Do you want to get this over with or not? This will be your test. If you can't make me feel comfortable, you fail!"

Gritting his teeth in more of nervousness than irritation, he almost lost his nerve when he raised his arm over their heads and mechanically rested across Jou's shoulders, trying to keep as little contact as possible during the situation.

Jou could almost laugh from the sheer awkwardness of it all. Seto was trying his very best not to look at him all the while as rigid as a surfboard. Shaking his head in amusement, he decided to mess with the uncomfortable CEO by snuggling against his side as he recalled how Shizuka did to her boyfriend.

Seto almost jumped out of the couch when he felt Jou's head snuggling his shoulder languidly like a puppy. The contact was almost too much to bear.

"Well?" Jou demanded as he looked up at Seto. "Aren't you going to snuggle me back or not?"

"I'm not the snuggle type," Seto mock-glared. "And it seems you're having as much fun than I am at snuggling other men."

Jou's face lit up like a Christmas light and he barked back, "Hey! This is for your benefit, Kaiba! If you're not going to take this seriously then I quit!"

"Stupid mutt," Seto muttered grumpily as he grasped a hold of the shoulder he had wrapped around. "What the hell do I do now?"

"Make me feel comfortable, genius," Jou rolled his eyes.

"With my arm?"

"Duh. If you can't make me melt in your arms, you fail!"

"Damn it."

Remembering how he nearly felt like melting when Jou massaged his hands, he experimentally began to use his hand grasping Jou's shoulder and rubbed it up and down in a careful motion for a few minutes. Then, feeling a bit more bold, he slowly reached higher into the mass of golden hair and ran his fingers through it.

He looked to see the blond's expression and pleasingly found Jou's eyelids were down at half-mast. That was a good sign.

After a few more minutes, Seto was pleased to find Jou making almost purr-like sounds from his lips and unconsciously snuggled even deeper into the brunet's chest.

And then, Seto swore to the Gods, Jou burrowed his face beneath the CEO's chin, his purring noises growing even louder.

'I thought dogs wagged their tails, not purr...' Seto thought to himself almost chidingly. It became second nature, after awhile, and he began to alternate between stroking Jou's hair and rubbing his arm. He was extremely heated in his body, the way they were positioned against each other. If anyone were to come in unexpectedly, they'd probably get the wrong idea.

Jou was almost on Seto's lap, his hand clutching his dress shirt with his face against the older man's neck, breathing in his scent.

The heated breath against Seto's skin was almost overwhelming and Seto had the urge for his hands to search for more of that smooth, coarse skin that belonged to Jou. He had to stop his nerves from sending the messages needed to slide his hands up that cotton shirt and into more access of Jou's skin.

"Mutt...? Are you sleeping on me?" Seto replied after an ample amount of silence and was only responded with the interlocking of their free hands across their laps.

Seto almost began to purr as well, when Jou proceeded to massage his hand with his own after a while; slowly ebbing the tension and stiffness away and the brunet found himself almost being lulled into unconsciousness by this physical lullaby.

In fact, deep, deep, deep down, he felt that he could remain in that same position for the rest of his life if it was in his power.

"Nice...job...Kaiba," Jou muttered tiredly. "You get an A-"

"An A-?" Seto exclaimed, the injustice was very apparent. "I got you to go to sleep!"

His chest was on fire when he saw the sight of Jou's sweet smile against his neck as he began to fall asleep.

"Yeah, but you didn't put your hands inside my shirt." He smirked lecherously.

This shocked Kaiba to no end. Maybe it was because of the fact that maybe, just maybe, they were on the same wavelength as much as they originally believed.

* * *

A/N: Well, how was it? I was listening to Avenged Sevenfold's MIA song while writing this and the lullaby tune of it got me very warm and fuzzy inside. I like that when it happens.

Reviews are awesome. Reviewers are even MORE awesome. Are you awesome?


	4. Step 3: Listening Gets the Girl!

A/N: Heh, so like, this is the first time in a millennia where I've actually written chapters multiple times in different fics under a time span of one day. I've got the inspiration, so why not use it while I still have it? Also, concerning the fact that in IIDA, Seto and Jou are married and intimate while in this fic...they're not, that's gonna be tough on me.

BTW: I'm sure everyone knows that Jou will eventually move into the lesson of kissing, (Cue fangirl screeching), which will be very hot and yummy, though I bet Jou will like it more than Kaiba will, but who knows? Sorry, but that won't be until another two chapters: this one and the next one. I know, I'm pulling your chain, but that was how I organized the fic from the beginning so you can wag your imaginary tails in anticipation until then.

* * *

Step 3: Listening Gets the Girl!

Before you wonder vaguely, Seto was too nervous to do the things that he and Jou did with Freya over the course of a few days. He felt that it was too casual. Too intimate.

Then again, that would be admitting that Jou was more intimate with him than his intended woman would be and Seto Kaiba will have none of that floating around his head.

The thought of him and Jou together---hilarious.

It wasn't the issue of being both guys, hell, Yugi's is narcissist with his past self. It couldn't get more freakier than that.

But the fact remained that he _allowed _Jou to become intimate in touching his person. No doubt the dog's geek squad would go brimming with tears at how the underdog managed to keep the big bad CEO wolf under his thumb was almost sickening. He crudely concerned that maybe there's something in the water that made him weak in the mutt's presence.

Because he enjoyed the warm touch of the rude Katsuya Jounouchi, the soft whispers that the blond would utter into his ear if he thought that Seto was too preoccupied with something else than to listen to his half-baked ideas and the fact that he fell under the spell of comfort with Jou's lean, but soft body snuggled against his.

Something was up with him and he didn't like it one bit.

Despite the fact that all of these conflicting problems with his third-rate rival was only Jou trying to help him win the girl, there was an underlying tone to it, as if Jou _enjoyed _being in his presence from time to time.

He remembered how Jou's eyes lit up in the restaurant when he enlisted aid from him, as if some sort of whimsical dream was burning alive again. He never studied that gaze then, but it seemed to be more prominent whenever they met up for a lesson.

No. He didn't think he was in love with Jou. That would be irresponsible. He had never experienced love outside family and so could it not be the fact that he enjoyed being with Jou because he was the first who initiated loving contact with him? It was a plausible explanation.

Even as he carefully initiated contact with Freya by gently touching her hand the way that Jou did, he wondered how he can discern his growing attachment to the blond and his nonexistent one with his intended.

* * *

Seto sat with Jou in the couch, once again starting another lesson in becoming a suitable lover to Freya. Jou seemed a bit thoughtful and quiet over the last few minutes, which was uncharacteristic of him.

"Pray tell, are you going to start the damn lesson or are you just winging it as we go on?" Kaiba muttered in annoyance at the lack of an answer. Jou was quiet once again, too quiet.

The CEO decided to clutch straws. "Are you still shocked over our last lesson? I'm not the one who initiated the snuggling, mutt, remember that." He felt heat rise in his cheeks when Jou gave him a subtle wink and a knowing grin.

"What the hell was that?" Seto tried to gain what bit of dignity he had left. He wasn't a goddamn girl for Kami sake! "Stop giving me mixed signals!"

"Jeez, chill Kaiba," Jou finally answered at last, sitting back and his grin dimmed a bit. "You're not fun anymore! Don't tell me you took it seriously!"

"I didn't!" Kaiba snarled back. "Why should I? You're far from my type."

Jou merely shrugged, though his demeanor seemed more resigned than usual. "If you think that I was too clingy, sorry. I was imagining you as my ex-girlfriend."

"..." This unsettled Kaiba, maybe even a bit more depressed at the fact that he substituted him for whatever chick he had last. He was almost sure that Jou's blatant show of affection was of his own accord.

The conversation ended on a depressing note like that. Neither of them wanted to vocally claim that they enjoyed the contact from a few days ago. Maybe more Seto than Jou.

"Let's put that behind us and move on, ne?" Jou piped up cheerfully, but even Kaiba could tell that it was forced. "On to step three! Listening Gets the Girl!"

"What?"

Jou playfully patted the annoyed CEO on his mahogany head. "We're going to quickly work on your conversation skills! Now I know that you're the super silent type, so we're not going to work on listening as much as your speaking. We're going to have a meaningful conversation!"

Kaiba fixed his hair right. "What do you mean, 'meaningful'?"

The blond scratched his head. "Well, you know. Talk about our lives because it's a sense that you are willing to integrate your life with your girlfriend and want to get to know her better. Now, you've got to listen up. There are a couple things you need to be wary of while you start these conversations. Number one, talk about her hobbies and things that accentuate her character---"

"Another big word, mutt?" Kaiba smirked. "I'd better watch out or you might suck the intelligence out of me."

Jou mock-glared. "Yeah, yeah. As if I'd suck anything out of you anytime soon."

The blond might not have acknowledged the double innuendo, but Kaiba did. He turned away out of sheer embarrassment and the fact that he was now blushing like mad. Something a Kaiba should never do. "Just hurry the hell up with your stipulations or get out of my room!"

"Yeah, that's what she said," Jou taunted and then returned to their lesson. "Anyway, before I was RUDELY interrupted...Number two, talk about her family, where she lived, school, etc. Women like to talk so let them and if they start to bore you, just quietly nod every seven seconds while you daydream. That way, they'll think you're listening. Number three, do not press on about matters that put pressure on her. She'll think you're nosy. And number four, integrate her talk with yours. Compare similar memories you both have to prove that you went through the same thing with her."

"I'm assuming that you want to share your life's shitty problems with me?" Kaiba rose an eyebrow, unperturbed that they would have to talk about each other's lives. Since every lesson has been with the both of them interacting, Seto could've sworn that Jou was using this excuse to get closer to him.

He didn't mind, though. But he'd never admit it out loud.

"Duh, do you have a brain? Who else you gonna do it with? Your butler?" Kaiba cringed at the idea of snuggling with his sixty-something year old butler.

Silence returned to the lit room and Kaiba wondered if Jou was going to take the initiative with this damned conversation, until it became apparent that Jou wanted Kaiba to start.

Growling down his throat he looked Jou squarely in the eye. "So, where'd you get that scar?" He hadn't meant that to become the head topic of the conversation, but he couldn't help seeing the marred groove going down the side of the blond's neck. He had especially seen it with their scandalous snuggle-fest before and couldn't help but become curious of it.

As if automatic, Jou's face became sober-like and he put his hand near his neck as if trying to remember where he got it. "Some thugs were after my sister when we were young. I attacked the sick bastards but got the brunt of one of their switchblades. The doctor was relieved because the cut was so close to the main artery, I could've died from excessive bleeding." He then shrugged. "That was when my mother used that event against my dad and I. She really wanted to take Shizuka away from me. Thought me and dad were bad influences on her, but it was only because she had a lover on the side and wanted to be with him."

Seto could sympathize. He'd do anything for his brother, even take the knife for him. That was when he remembered something. "I've had a similar experience."

When Jou blinked in confusion, Kaiba resolved to lift up his dress shirt to show him. Jou watched with wide eyes when Seto lifted the shirt enough to expose his taut stomach with a burn the shape of 'KC' on the left of his abdomen.

"What the hell?" Jou leaned forward to take a closer look at it. It was fairly old from the looks of it, you could only tell from the fact that the burn was a color lighter than the rest of Seto's skin and you can see some of the marred skin damage due to the scorch.

Kaiba almost felt irritated to recall the memory. "Gozaburo wanted sell Mokuba to his business partners in order to gain their trust and companies. I wouldn't let him and pushed Mokuba away before he got branded. The poker hit me instead and I compromised him with a challenge. If he gave me a portion of his stocks to Kaiba Corp, I could make a hundred times the amount by the end of the year to prove my worth as his successor, therefore preventing Mokuba from selling himself. He agreed and I obtained the amount in one day."

Jou whistled. Talk about ruthless. "Can I touch it?" It seemed almost embarrassing to ask, but he felt the instinctual need to make it go away.

He was met with a raised eyebrow from Kaiba but he gave him a slow nod and Jou tentatively touched the too smooth burn with a brush of his fingers.

Seto flinched a bit at the touch. He'd never had it touched before, not even himself. It was too degrading to try. He felt almost lightheaded when Jou traced it as if the blond was trying to melt the taint away from it. It became nearly unbearable and Seto felt some sort of animalistic need to pull Jou toward him and lick the blond's knife scar. It felt appropriate to do so in his train of thinking and almost did it too until Jou pulled back, satisfied with his curiosity.

The brunet felt ashamed and berated himself with such thinking. This was the mutt he was thinking about!

"Aside from Gozaburo, do you remember your real parents?" Seto was glad for Jou's change in subject.

"A little," Kaiba admitted. "Mokuba doesn't though. Mother died giving birth to him and Father died in a car accident a couple years later. Our relatives used up the inheritance and dropped us off in a orphanage when they had no use for us. Mokuba looks a lot like Mother, her hairstyle and demeanor. But his dark hair and eyes came from Father because he was full Japanese. He met Mother in America while on a business trip. She was a drifter singer in a cafe." Kaiba proceeded to lift a picture from his wallet and dutifully handed it to Jou.

Jou saw three people happily standing with each other in the old picture, one of them a child who looked like Seto. The child looked around five years old and was cheerily in his father's arm who had dark hair and eyes. The man's other arm was around the shoulders of a benign looking woman who indeed had Mokuba's hairstyle but the hair color was mahogany like Seto's and cerulean blue eyes which Seto had also inherited. She was cradling her stomach, which was obviously large and well into pregnancy.

"They look happy." That was all Jou had to say, though his tone was whimsical with sympathy. No doubt that things went downhill after this picture and he stared almost imploringly at the five year old Seto as if trying to interpret to a mere image that he should keep his carefree smile always. He knew that Kaiba could never smile like that again, not the way his life turned out to be. His eyes began to well up and he returned the picture silently. "Sorry."

"It's not as if it was your fault that reality hits people differently," Seto answered gruffly as he returned it back into his wallet. "You've had far worse than me, I'm sure." It was true, at least his parents genuinely loved him and Mokuba despite the little time they had in the living. Jou's parents were still living and they both hated Jou just because he lived. Maybe even Shizuka too if Jou's mother is just using her to get back at Jou and his father.

Both Seto and Jou came to the realization that their family life was as opposite as could be, but led to the same heartbreak.

Jou only shrugged. "I think it's pretty normal for me. I thought it was always normal for the parents to hate their kid."

"That's ridiculous," Seto testified evenly. "What the hell did you do to make them hate you?"

"I don't know. I think Mom being pregnant with me at the time forced the two to marry, maybe. There are lots of clues that I picked up about Mom being engaged to some wealthy guy and she had a one-night stand with Dad. Her fiance dumped her after finding out and she had to settle with Dad who was a drunken, pot-smoking, irresponsible adult. And I think Dad hated her because she kept putting out or something like that. That, or she kept degrading him no matter how hard he tried to provide for his family. And I'm not even sure if Shizuka is my biological sister or half, considering she looks nothing like Dad and barely like Mom." Jou poured out his insecurities to Seto like an open book. He never planned to go that deep into his life.

He could see Seto watching him with undivided attention, far from being unconcerned by his rivals woes. "Do you think that that's the reason why you try so hard to beat Yugi and I?"

"Part of it, maybe," Jou proceeded to stretch the part of his neck that was growing a kink. "I'm sick and tired of being called worthless, you know?" He sat back and looked up, unwilling to meet eyes with the CEO. "I just keep telling myself that someday, people would look back and say, 'Look at Katsuya Jounouchi now. He's not in drugs or gangs or in jail as we thought he'd be down the line', ya know? I want to be worthy to _someone, _even if it does sound cheesy."

It wasn't really. Seto realized that he never knew this other side of Jou. Behind the happy-go-lucky smile and intense attitude was only merely a defense mechanism to emotional abuse. There are few who are gifted enough to walk away from self destruction and he had to admit it. Jou was one of those kind of people.

"I...think you've made it this far without fail," Kaiba said quietly, looking away out of sheer embarrassment. "You give yourself too little credit."

That was when Jou smiled which was oddly enough strange. The smile seemed to be of relief and was glowing much brighter than all his other smiles in the past. Like a great burden was off his chest at last.

It was a beautiful smile, even from another man's point of view this was true. It was a smile deep inside, he'd been waiting to see from the blond. Something he was unconsciously waiting for all this time.

"So..." Jou's smile dimmed a bit, which disappointed Seto for some reason. "What do you like to do, aside from being a mean person?"

"Ha. Ha." Seto answered back blandly. "You're a comedian. I'm only mean when I have to."

Jou rolled his eyes. "And that's everyday...?"

"Must you be stupid?" Kaiba glared. "As a matter of fact, I have hobbies too."

"Alright, let's hear them," Jou leaned forward, head on his hands in interest. "And you can't say reading or stupid junk like that. I've heard of them already. Something that would make me go, 'Holy Crap'."

Kaiba's glare never wavered, but then settled into a grim facade. "..."

Jou held his hand to his ear as if he couldn't hear anything. "What was that? Your mumbling, sonny!"

"I..."

"What...?"

"...I can dance."

The blond then sat back. "Well, that was boring. Anybody can wave their bodies around stupidly and call it a dance."

"Stupid, I can do themed dances," Kaiba growled indignantly. "I'm good at Salsa."

"No shit? Like Tango and the Macarena? Come on, tell me the truth!" Jou denied this claim with the shaking of his head. "Dude, I heard you've gotta have personality to those kind of dances and you're kinda lacking in that department."

Kaiba threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Son of a...!" He then abruptly stood up and strode to a surprised Jou. He grabbed the blond's arm roughly to his feet and pulled him from the couch.

"Hey, Kaiba! I was joking, okay! Don't have a cow, I was joking!" Jou pleaded, afraid that Kaiba was planning on kicking his ass or worse---firing him.

"Shut up, mutt," Seto muttered as he righted Jou as straight as possible and proceeded to grab Jou's right hand with his left and used his free hand to set Jou's other free hand on his shoulder then rested this arm around the freaked out blond's waist.

"What the hell, dude?!" Jou shrieked as he was literally swept off his feet with Kaiba's demanding, but elegantly fluent dancing. At one point did their pelvis' crushed during a rather tricky maneuver which caused Jou to blush profusely.

At the end of this dance, Seto climaxed with a dip, causing Jou to nearly fall backwards in surprise. Seto promptly dropped the stricken Jou on the couch and sat on the other end, rather embarrassed at the brunt of what he just did.

It was after a few minutes that Jou regained a sense of self and blinked at the annoyed CEO.

"Holy shit."

"Hmph."

Jou excitedly moved closer to the irate brunet with shoulders shaking with laughter. "You weren't joking! That was cool! Totally made me evaluate your judge of character!"

"Shut up," Kaiba muttered without remorse. Though he felt rather pleased at the compliment.

Another silence swept by as they both tried to gather up what little dignity they had left. Seto broke the silence with an uttered word. "Well?"

Jou blinked. "Well what?"

"I just embarrassed the shit out of me with my dancing! The least you can do is give me an equally disturbing hobby to compensate!" Kaiba snarled without any malice in it's undertones.

"Oh." The blond rubbed the back of his neck as if trying to think of something and then grinned. "Do you really want to know?"

"Absolutely." No holds barred.

He watched in a startled state as Jou proceeded to take his tie that was lounging with his jacket on the side of the couch and proceeded to tie his hands with it.

After a minute or two, Jou finished and raised his tied hands above his head, which had illicit the narrowing eyes of the CEO.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Jou only grinned at him in a truly lecherous way. "Do you know bondage?"

Kaiba promptly left the room. He now understood the saying of 'Don't ask, don't tell'.

* * *

Seto lounged thoughtfully on his bed, his thoughts immersed so deeply he refused to work, which was a rare occurance. He took in the earlier evening's conversation and decided that things were going a little off plan. He was getting to know Jou too much. So much, that now it's affecting him both personal and on a business level.

He understood, though, of Jou's disposition. He was a man who backed up anybody he was loyal too, only in the process of doing it, he's sacrificing himself in the end. It was almost tragic, really. A rare personality only to be shunned by everyone around him to only be left in the background. No climax in his life to look forward to.

At least, in his case, he had worked himself to the point of no return and had gotten what he wanted out of it. Jou was a hair short of any personal gain so far in his life. Seto now realized of how wistful it must be to be in the mutt's shoes.

Jou was that type of person. That little ounce of hope that was locked in Pandora's box as the world was shrouded in darkness, being refused to save the world with its blinding power. He was the pedestal of undiluted greatness: to bring those up but never himself.

Jou didn't know it, but there are many people who relied on his personal strength. He was Yugi's shield, Shizuka's protector, his friends' middle ground. To him, he was...

...what was he to Seto Kaiba?

He remembered taking one glance at Jou during dinnertime. He returned the glance with a telltale smirk that spoke of rivalry and playfulness. A stark contrast to Seto's blunt nature. But, in the end, it was something to look forward to everyday. He would force Seto Kaiba out of his shell of solitude and taunt him to do something more out there; open his eyes to new sensations whether he wanted to or not.

Yes, Jou was his fire. A beautiful yet spiteful personality that was comforting to just watch but to come too close would burn you badly. It was a perfect comparison. Jou was like fire, something you couldn't tame or bend to your will by force. You have to coax it, gain it's trust and trust it in return as it slowly consumes you in it's intense heat.

Seto was ice and Jou was fire. Therefore, it was concluded that their personalities were too radical, too opposite to merge together as one. Jou could only consume him, destroying him along a path of flames. And Seto would only trap him within the confines of the frozen tundra that was slowly eradicating his soul, dampening that tantalizing fire until it was only a spark of it's former self.

At least, that was what Seto wanted to believe. This growing attachment to the blond could only be interpreted as an insatiable need of companionship, to have something absolutely forbidden in his arms and admitting victory yet also defeat at the same time. It wasn't love because he couldn't understand love.

Maybe he never would. Everything was for the sake of compliance with others, not for himself. If he had it his way, he'd never be with anybody. Only immerse himself with his machines, his passion resonating with them: none.

And yet, somewhere, he was begging. Begging for something to spark within him. Waiting for an impossible influence to break this self-loathing chain and free him.

Was there anyone in the world that can do it? No. There was no one in this world that could.

He never realized that he never saw Jou as something materialized in this world. In his eyes, Jou was an ethereal spirit inside a body housed by hate of this world. Was it enough to break the cycle?

This train of thought went on for hours and Seto knew that if he couldn't get any sleep now, he'd regret it the next day so he forced himself to sleep. The only conclusion he could come up with was to follow the plan as always. Ignore that nagging feeling when he was in the blond's presence and hope that Freya would be enough to cover it all up.

It was futile, to a normal person's eyes. But then again, Seto was never normal.

TBC

* * *

A/N: This is what you get when you listen to the Final Fantasy Advent Children soundtrack while writing.

Reviews are cool. I review things all the time! Do you? If so, review!


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